Implementation of 3D Printing Technology in the Food Industry

This project involves the implementation of 3D printing technology on designing and fabricating food holders in the food industry. Food holders are designed to hold the food packages in the filling line for food manufacturing industries that apply retort technology. Therefore, this study aims to implement the 3D printing technology in particular FDM to fabricate food holders for the food processing industry. The approach of using this technology is focused on giving more view on the capability of 3D printing technology, aiming at reducing the overall process fabrication cost and fabrication time. Hence, the fabrication cost and time between FDM and conventional machining methods were compared. This study revealed that Organic Gain food industry was able to reduce the cost and fabrication time for the food holder up to approximately 96.3% and 72% respectively. This project gives an insight into the ability of 3D printing technology in delivering the demands of the industry in producing parts as well as the adaptability of the technology to the industry in new product development. The project was carried out successfully and the 3D printed food holder has been tested and functions smoothly.

Scratch Morphology Transformation: An Alternative Method of Scratch Processing on Optical Surface

The scratches on an optical surface can worsen the performance of elements. The normal process method is removing scratches entirely. However, it is a tough and high-cost requirement of removing extremely deep scratches and maintaining all the other excellent indicators at the same time. As the alternative of removing, we propose the method of scratch morphology transformation to diminish the drawbacks induced by scratches. We measure the morphology of scratches, establish the transformation models and transform them to the needed shape. In engineering applications, transformation can solve scratch drawbacks or limitations in an efficient and effective way. Then, residual scratches become acceptable. The transformation can also be amalgamated into the error figuring processes. Typical scratch transforming examples are experimented and AFM measurement is conducted. We explore the rule of scratch morphology transformation by two typical fabrication means: magnetorheological finishing (MRF) and HF etching. This morphology transforming method is an economical alternative for current defect-free fabrication. That will significantly decrease fabrication time, cost and risk, while the optical quality maintain.

Feasibility Study of the Cranial Implant Fabricated without Supports in Electron Beam Melting

Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly electron beam melting (EBM), is becoming increasingly common in the medical industry because of its remarkable benefits. The application of personalized titanium alloy implants produced using EBM has received considerable attention in recent times due to their simplicity and efficacy. However, these tailored implants are not cost-effective, placing a tremendous strain on the patient. The use of additional materials as support during the manufacturing process is one of the key causes of its high cost. A lot of research has been done to lessen the use of supports through various types of support designs. There is indeed a noticeable paucity of studies in the literature that have examined customized implants produced without or minimal supports. This research, therefore, reports on the investigation of cranial implants fabricated with and without supports. The two personalized implants are evaluated in terms of their cost, fabrication time, and accuracy. The study showed impressive results for cranial implants manufactured without supports that cost 39% less than the implants with supports. Similarly, the implant’s (without supports) build time was 18% less than its equivalent with supports. The two implants also demonstrated similar fitting accuracy with 0.2613 mm error in the instance of implant built without supports and 0.2544 mm for the implant with supports. The results indicate that cranial implants can be produced without EBM supports, which can minimize both production time and cost substantially. However, the manufacture of other complex implants without supports needs further study. The future study also requires a detailed review of the mechanical and structural characteristics of cranial implants built without supports.

IDENTIFY CRITICAL DATA DURING PRODUCT CUSTOMISATION – A CASE STUDY OF ORTHOSES FABRICATION

Big data provides high volume of data to inform product customisation. Understanding which data is relevant remains a challenge. A method is proposed to identify relevant data to inform data-driven customisation. A case study regarding customisation of orthoses was conducted. Verbal protocol analysis was employed to extract time spent on major fabrication phases. Data related to patients, therapists and fabrication time was analysed. Results showed that the number of stabilised joints, experience of therapists and whether the design is for in- or out-patient are key factors for customisation.

A Feasibility Study of an Extrusion-Based Fabrication Process for Personalized Drugs

Developing a high-efficiency manufacturing system for personalized medicine plays an important role in increasing the feasibility of personalized medication. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a new extrusion-based fabrication process for personalized drugs with a faster production rate. This process uses two syringe pumps with a coaxial needle as an extruder, which extrudes two materials with varying ratios into a capsule. The mixture of hydrogel, polyethylene glycol (PEG), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, poly acrylic acid and the simulated active pharmaceutical ingredient, Aspirin, was used. To validate the method, samples with different ratios of immediate release (IR) and sustained release (SR) mixtures were fabricated. The results of a dissolution test show that it is feasible to control the release profile by changing the IR and SR ratio using this fabrication setup. The fabrication time for each capsule is about 20 seconds, which is significantly faster than the current 3D printing methods. In conclusion, the proposed fabrication method shows a clear potential to step toward the feasibility of personalized medication.

Analytical Characterization and Experimental Validation of the Material Extrusion Wave Infill for Thin-Walled Structures

The wave infill for material extrusion (MEX) of the thin-walled structure (TWS) is presented. The wave infill, a lightweight truss-like porous core structure sandwiched between two outer walls, is an efficient toolpath pattern for the MEX of TWS. Analytical models for predicting the stiffness, load capacity, fabrication time, and mass were established for two orthogonal in-plane and layer-to-layer variations inherent in MEX wave infill parts. Rectangular prism, four-point flexural bending specimens representing the in-plane and layer-to-layer orientations with wave infill were fabricated by MEX of polyamide-12 (Nylon-12) material. From these specimens, fabrication time and mass were measured, and four-point flexural tests were conducted to measure the stiffness and load capacity of the beam. Analytical models were compared with the experimental measurements to identify their predictive capabilities. Stiffness for in-plane and layer-to-layer orientations was predicted well with the relative root-mean-square error (RRMSE) of 7% and 6%, respectively. Load capacity in in-plane and layer-to-layer orientations had the RRMSE of 23% and 22%, respectively. Fabrication time and mass were predicted well with a RRMSE of 7% and 6%, respectively. The methods established in this study are the foundation for optimal design and MEX of wave infill TWSs with generalized loads.